EDITORIAL: After Libya, U.S. faces new tests

Thursday

Sep 13, 2012 at 12:01 AMSep 13, 2012 at 12:51 PM

America faces two challenges in the wake of this week’s horrific violence directed at U.S. diplomatic facilities in the Middle East. One is to respond swiftly and sternly to the attacks. The other is to keep the crisis from devolving into tacky political sniping here at home. Neither task will be easy.

In Libya, U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed as protesters assaulted the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi. Hours earlier in Egypt, protesters climbed the walls of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and shredded the American flag.

The attacks were brazen and bloodthirsty. Had they been sanctioned by the Libyan and Egyptian governments, they would be considered acts of war. But they were carried out by angry mobs not allied (as far as we know) with political leaders. The protesters reportedly were enraged by an anti-Muslim movie made by a Californian and posted on YouTube.

Regardless of their motive, the cells that spawned this violence should be identified and hunted down. That will be difficult. Libya and Egypt are insular cultures whose people tend to protect their own.

President Obama understands this. “Make no mistake,” he said Wednesday, “we will work with the Libyan government to bring to justice the killers who attacked our people.” He has also ordered increased security at U.S. diplomatic posts worldwide. Both are prudent moves.

Less prudent was the reaction from Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. As the situation in Cairo unfolded but before it was known our ambassador to Libya was dead, Romney said he was “shocked” by the president’s “disgraceful” response.

Later Wednesday, Mr. Romney had a chance to temper those comments. He didn’t.

There’s an old saying: Politics stops at the water’s edge. It means that during an international crisis, American politicians should present a united front to other countries. Our leaders would do well to remember that.